Maglite Upgrade!

First off I must say I'm not on the same level as most of you guys in here in regards to some lights and how they run. I have a nice stock of SF's and Streamlights so I know alittle.

Now, I have an old Maglite 2 C-cell in great condition sitting here collecting dust. What I want to do is make this light as bright as I can with out doing to many crazy things to it, that will be for another day and another light.

So in laymans terms can someone tell me what bulb I should buy and where I can buy it to do a simple power upgrade on this light.

This light is going to a security guard friend of mine who will not come to the dark side of SF lights so I told him I would give him this light and I would see if I can make it brighter for him.

Thanks.

Have a look at the LED upgrades for 2C/D maglites.
You can find the info on their website: http://www.maglite.com
There are more powerful solutions. As far as I know this means you can get more powerful LED upgrades, but those aren´t offered by Maglite.
I think Terralux is to look for. But it wouldn´t surprise me if there are even more powerful upgrades. Anyway, there is a company that sells it and post it to you in an envelope (which is cheaper). Risk it might get lost in the mail is yours though. (not insured) Let me see if I can find the name of the website for you....
Yes, I think it was this website: http://www.batteryjunction.com/maglite2dor2d.html

+1

150 Lumens for $25 is a good value:


I upgraded my 3C to about half that last summer and its still my favorite light (Rebel's aren't here yet).

If soldering is an option, this might be a good mod for you to do, except put 2 Micropucks in parallel for higher current.

Will this be used often, or just infrequently where extra light is needed. With a 2C Maglite, you can get a length of heater hose, slit it down the edge and insert 3x CR123A batteries into the tube. You have to slightly bend the spring to make contact with the negative end of the lithium cells. Then, you have 9 volts at the bulb. Swap in a Mag 6D Xenon bulb, and away you go.

After consideration of the alternatives, I just stuck the Maglite LEDs in mine, works very well and makes a fine low cost upgrade. The fact that the run time is improved and the bulb won't break if dropped makes it even better. The brightness, while greater, isn't that great, but improved over the Xenon bulbs. The throw is good.

For a daily user light, hard to beat.

I happen to be very fond of my "C" cell Mags (2,3,& 4) and I upgraded each with the MagLite 3 Watt LED Modules (they sell them nearly everywhere MagLites are sold) for about $18 to $20. They produce plenty of satisfactory illumination (for rattling doors and making rounds) are breakproof, don't burn out and they just drop in the flashlight.
Good luck.




Does anybody out there know if 3 or 4 "C" cell MagLites have been produced in any color other than black? I would really love to find one. I found a 2 "C" cell in Pewter/gray a couple of months ago. Please reply if you have any clues. Thanks
:candle:

There is a pretty simple modification that is outlined at http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_2c-123a_mod.htm that will produce a very bright light in a compact form factor, however the drawback is a runtime that is comparable to the Surefire or other incandescents using CR123 batteries, and may not appeal to a mainstream consumer.

Otherwise, the MagLED module that has been mentioned, is probably the easiest modification to give your 2C a new life.

djblank87 said:

Now, I have an old Maglite 2 C-cell in great condition sitting here collecting dust. What I want to do is make this light as bright as I can with out doing to many crazy things to it, that will be for another day and another light.


This light is going to a security guard friend of mine who will not come to the dark side of SF lights so I told him I would give him this light and I would see if I can make it brighter for him.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Spence said:

Does anybody out there know if 3 or 4 "C" cell MagLites have been produced in any color other than black? I would really love to find one. I found a 2 "C" cell in Pewter/gray a couple of months ago. Please reply if you have any clues. Thanks

Click to expand...

Everyonce and awhile you'll come upon a special colored C cell mag. I've never seen any Gray colors. Usually if they aren't in black they are in purple or blue. If you see one its always good to buy it then as its rare. They might be in diffrent color's now but i haven't been paying very much attention since i got my first SureFire in September 2006 so someone who has actually been watching Mag colors (and not drooling over there A2 and the thought of a K2-Kroma like me ) will be able to say better.

Thank you everyone for you advice. I'm off to the store to buy some goodies now that I know what to buy.

Thanks again.

The brighteset mod you can do right now for your Maglite 2C is the ROP Mod. You'll need two 3.7v Lithium ion C batteries, some way to charge them(You'll need your own way to connect the batteries to the charger), a metal reflector, a glass window/lens, and the ROP bulbs. 600 lumen out the front with the ROP high bulb.

Welcome to CPF!

You guys are full of great information. I love it, thanks again guys.

Spence said:

Does anybody out there know if 3 or 4 "C" cell MagLites have been produced in any color other than black? I would really love to find one. I found a 2 "C" cell in Pewter/gray a couple of months ago. Please reply if you have any clues. Thanks
:candle:

Click to expand...

Yes, IIRC at least red, blue and silver. They're pretty rare. The online stores that list them don't have them in stock, and they rarely show up on eBay.
A good place to discuss this is in the collector's forum, although it's also been discussed in the modder's forum.